Day and Age

I don't believe there's a single person in the world who doesn't like the Killers. And now that it's finally here, time to review their new album!

Here's the first single released off the album, Human.

for the rest of the tracks, click

My personal favorites were Spaceman, an upbeat, dancefloor track, and This Is Your Life, even though the music itself is really more interesting than the lyrics, since its backed by a great bass line, as well as a sort of tribal-chant.
Other tracks include Losing Touch, a jazzy, smooth listen, Joy Ride, which transports you back to the 70's with its disco-y feel. The album then slows down a bit with A Dustland Fairytale, a sad ballad. But it picks up again quickly with I Can't Stay, which features steel drums and acoustic guitar for a fun medley. Neon Tiger is somewhat reminiscent of Sam's Town, and when followed by The World We Live In, I found it kind of like a slump in the middle of the album (more about that later). In Goodnight, Travel Well, is like seven minutes of reflection, and I'll bet if you really listened to it you'd find a lot of meaning (but I unfortunately didn't have that kind of time.)
As for the bonus track, A Crippling Blow, the beat almost made it 60's reminiscent, and its also an amazing display of vocals from Brandon Flowers!
With every new album, there are some songs that jump right out at you. These are usually the singles; the hits. Its the other songs, the songs that take a few listens to sink in, are the ones that really resonate. So if I just dissed your favorite song, don't be mad, I just haven't had time to appreciate them fully.
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The Circus Comes to Town

I think Britney herself said it best with "It's been awhile." Although it's been only a few years since she last tore up the charts, her erratic behavior was better at selling tabloids than albums. Now that she's really back this time, she's got a solid album to prove it. In fact, you'll be glad to know that lead single Womanizer is one of the lesser tracks in comparison. Womanizer feels flat when compared with the hyper, chantey feel of songs like the salacious If U Seek Amy (try saying it out loud, or rather in your head if there are people around.) Elsewhere, she succeeds with the confident Kill The Lights, cooing "is that money in your pocket, or you're happy to see me?" in reference to her famed experiences with the paparazzi. Surprisingly, one of my favorite moments comes in the down-tempo techno track Unusual You. It's gentle without being contrived, and still remains a standout. Speaking of standouts, there's also the title track Circus, with a chorus sure to be on everyone's lips in a matter of days; the introspective Blur where Britney admits she "can't remember what I did last night;"the chaotic Mannequin, which is actually downright experimental for arguably the most mainstream artist in the world; and the bass-slapping Lace & Leather, which feels like a tongue in cheek take on a Prince/Janet Jackson sound-a-like. The duds? My Baby, although certainly sweet, is one of the more boring songs I've heard in a while and Out From Under tries too hard to be emotional. Otherwise, it's a great album that I would definitely recommend as well as give the The Guide to Everything Fabulous stamp of approval. Circus hits stores December 2nd.
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Happy Halloweek!!!

The countdown has started, and I am oh-so-excited! In just seven more days, its my favortie holiday!!! So I'm taking over and turning this into a weeklong celebration!!! (Joey had his fashion week, now its my turn.) You aren't going to want to miss a minute of this.

ok, and for those of you who aren't so in the spirit yet, I've made you a playlist-


Happy Haunting!!!
~Meg Read more!

808s & Heartbreak

For someone who could easily be described as overhyped, with him dispersing most of it, Kanye West is having a moment. It's not that I've never liked his music before, it's just that I never really got it. But as he's become an unlikely fashion show attendee and used Sessilee Lopez in one of his videos, I've been paying more attention to him.So when I heard his new single Love Lockdown at the VMA's, I knew it was something I could get behind. His new album 808s & Heartbreak is done entirely with auto-tune, the recording tool best known for making fellow rap star T-Pain a star. With all of the songs revealed so far being related to broken hearts and star-crossed lovers, it's clear he's really going for it. I commend his artistry and ability to define a look. Last time around it was his shutter sunglasses that have quickly become a disgusting frat party staple. This time, he's sticking to his heart motif with flashing heart pins and various other unexpected touches. I'm looking forward to hearing the album on November 25th, but for those of you who can't wait that long: to hear a little preview, click

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Riding The Britney Comeback Train

We all know that Britney Spears has had some rough patches recently, so I've been patient with writing anything about her thus far. Well, this time, I'm convinced. There's been a few false second comings of the Britney we all know and love, but now I think she's really back.
It all started a few months ago, when, after staying relatively out of the limelight;she launched a comeback centered around the VMA's. After a whole bunch of back and forth about whether or not she'd be performing, she didn't. Instead she coherently kicked off the show and won three awards. Okay, not much of an achievement, but we're talking baby steps here!
While the smell of renewed Britney love filled the air, her record label took advantage of the opportunity and announced her next album. Circus, due December 2nd (less-than-coincidentally her birthday), was put together while she was undergoing this miraculous recovery and features collaborations in some degree with Lady GaGa, Lil Jon, Keri Hilson, and a whole long list of other equally notable people.
While at that point I was still a little skeptical, it's her upcoming video for her new single Womanizer that I'm waiting for to make my final judgment. From what I've seen so far, it promises to only further solidify her return. So join me in sitting through 20/20 tomorrow (Friday, October 10th) to see its premiere. It's been long time coming, but Britney's back!




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5 Reasons to Watch FNMTV

At last year's infamous VMA's, Justin Timberlake took advantage of his acceptance speech to challenge MTV to "play more damn videos." It was simple yet necessary advice to a network that can barely call itself "Music Television" anymore. And while the channel is still infiltrated with The Hills and other shameless programming, they've managed to dedicate one hour to actual music. I now present the five reasons why you should tune in.

1. Because if you do then maybe they'll play more videos!
2. Because there's always something for everyone.
3. They play the whole video instead of that 1 minute crap on TRL.
4. There's always a live performance.
5. Because they're trying to be different, and sometimes change is good!

FNMTV airs Fridays at 8:00 PM on MTV.

picture from daylife.com

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The Odd Couple

Hello readers! First of all I just want to apologize that I didn't keep my promise from my last post when I said it would be only 1 day we would be gone. We experienced some technical difficulties... But anyway, lets just get right along with it.

Its been a little while since the most recent Gnarls Barkley album, The Odd Couple has come out, but i still find it fabulous, and highly underappreciated. Seriously! When I first got it, and heard "Run," I thought to myself, "this is definitely going to be a hit!" But apparently it's been taking its time getting there... So I figured, why not give it an extra little push? I don't want one of my favorite groups to be only known as one hit wonders!!! I've picked out a few of the best songs on the album, and i want you all to listen, love, and spread the glory of them-

picture from evolvingmusic.wordpress.com

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Going Gaga for Lady GaGa

From the minute Lady GaGa steps on the stage it's clear she marches to the beat of her own drum. Everything from the space age outfits to the cult-like backup dancers she is rarely seen without feel like something from the future;Yet she is heavily influenced by the 70's and 80's in her general approach to music. Overall, her style is a little Gwen Stefani, a little David Bowie, and a lot of mystique. But instead of shying away from the mainstream, she embraces it wholeheartedly and is fascinated with fame in general. So much so that she titled her album The Fame and dedicated several songs to it. And she's done a lot of research, spending the last couple of years writing for major artists, most recently for Britney Spears' forthcoming album. Keep an eye out for her, because there's a good chance she's about to become a phenomenon.
BONUS:to listen to some of her album The Fame, click

picture from seedreps.blogspot.com
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The Search for the Perfect Radio Station

We've all experienced it. We dial, push, tune, etc. until we find anything that we can at least tolerate on the radio. Once whatever's left of the song is over, another one comes on that we dislike. So the process repeats itself. Lately I've had it just about up to here with that process, so I set out to find a way around it.
My search began with Launchcast. Launchcast is yahoo's customized station that collects information about your favorite artists, genres, albums, and songs. As the songs play you adjust them to hopefully tweak the station more to your preferences. I'd toyed around with it a few years ago, so my station needed a little revision. Once I'd finished with that, it felt like I had found the perfect station. But apparently my taste was too limited, so launchcast decided I could do with some expansion. It got to the point where I had to skip 20 songs I had never heard of just to get to one I liked. So I continued my search.
My next step was internet radio. I assumed that someone out there would play the songs I wanted to hear, and the world of internet radio seemed expansive enough. I went to shoutcast.com because I knew they listed the songs the station was currently playing. I looked at the categories they listed. None of them seemed to define what I was looking for. So I searched for the best way I could define the genre I wanted. None of the stations were playing anything I liked. I decided that internet radio wasn't for me.
Then I remembered yes.com. yes.com tracks the songs played on almost every radio station under the sun. I tried searching for artists I liked, because with yes.com yo can keep track of what stations are playing certain artists. I clicked on the profiles of all the stations that played the artist that I liked to see if I liked anything else they were playing. If they were, I went to the station's website and listened to their online stream. I found some stations, but none of them were as perfect as I was looking for.
As a last ditch attempt I googled "the perfect radio station" and found pandora. Pandora asks you simply for one artist, genre, or song you like, then determines what musical qualities that item has, and puts together a playlist based on it. I found that it got boring very fast. Their catalog doesn't appear to be as large as launchcast's and I didn't recognize any of the songs it chose for me. I know that seems a little beside the point, but I like to know the music I listen to before I listen to it.
In the end, I'll probably listen to my launchcast station from time to time, and maybe some of the stations I found on yes.com, but I never really found my perfect radio station. What do you think? Is there such a thing as the perfect radio station? Can you recommend something for me to try? Tell us in the comments!
picture from thefader.com
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New Music Post!

In order to really be on top of everything fabulous, it's important to stay up to date with the next big things in music. So, in keeping up with that idea, I've searched everywhere for the best of the newest of the new.

The Fieros

The fieros are a dallas-based unsigned group formerly known as The Valentines. They list Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Stone Roses, Oasis, Otis Redding, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Big Bang, Caesars, Fleetwood Mac, John Lennon, The Who, The Staple Singers, Ray Charles, and Joe Cocker as their influences on Myspace. Listen to their Songbird EP below.

The Fieros are currently recording, but in the mean time all of these songs are available to download for free on their myspace.
To see the rest, click

The Ting Tings

You've probably heard Shut Up and Let Me Go on either an iPod commercial or Gossip Girl, but now it's time to put a name to the song. The Ting Tings are an indie pop duo with a number one album in their native England. You can hear some of those songs below.

We Started Nothing is available in stores now.

Natalie Portman's Shaved Head

Despite the distracting name, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head is an electro group from Seattle. Listen to their debut album Glistening Pleasure below

Glistening Pleasure is available now.

The Black Kids

The Black Kids are an indie pop group from Jacksonville, Florida who were named one of Rolling Stone's Ten Artists to Watch last year. Below is their album Partie Traumatic

Partie Traumatic was released today (June 22nd, 2008) in North America.

Hercules and Love Affair

Hercules and Love Affair is a Disco group based in New York. They have released a Self Titled album to good critical reception. Hear it below.

Hercules and Love Affair is now available.
pictures from myspace.com,fannation.com,sacbee.com, soundonthesound.com,and thefader.com








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Mariah Carey

To start off our little series of top searches, yesterday's was Mariah Carey. With good reason: The Long Island native has been the best selling female artist since the 90's. And with her latest album, E=mc2, she shows no signs of slowing down. She also recently appeared in the movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan (a very strange movie, I wouldn't really recommend it; however she does make a guest appearance).
Here are some of the best and the biggest of her latest album. Enjoy!

This is her latest single, a fun, summer love tune.

This has a sentimental value to me.

I just think this vid is hilarious. Read more!